My taste for the gourmet world started developing early in my life. I was a teenager when I discovered a Jelly Belly, known as the Original Gourmet Jelly Bean. Instantly I became a foodie! I accredit these little pods of sugary perfection for developing my palette to what it is now… Not really, but boy do I love them! Some would say I have quite a peculiar taste. My favorites are cappuchino, coconut, toasted marshmallow, and buttered popcorn. Not individually, but all four together bursting an over-exaggerated taste of sweetness that I adore. I had always heard the phrase; “you are what you eat” and that came true after giving birth with my adoration for these little candies. It wasn’t because of them, but I sure thought about the irony of how years later this name could perfectly be tattooed across my abdomen and make sense.

Nobody told me that I was going to feel as though there was a dead jelly fish permanently clasped to my mid-section once my baby was no longer housed in there. I don’t know if anyone had warned me it would have helped my discomfort but it was awful. There is this custom in Mexico to bind your stomach with large bandages after delivery and it assists things in settling down. I asked the nurse to do this for me at the hospital and it was the worst thing ever. Leave it to my body to reject generations of tradition, but the opposite effect happened. I blew up like Violet Beauregarde from Willy Woka’s from the bottom of my chest all through my hips. It was insane! Turns out, modern advancements are much better suited for my body. Here’s my tip for this week… The answer to not feeling like a walking vat of fluff: Spanx!

Wear them all day, everyday. Buy several if you have to, I promise they help the swelling go down, especially after a c-section. Slowly, with persistence, your figure will come back if you want it to, but don’t get discouraged. I met a dancer while pregnant in the Prada store in Soho, NY. She was so sweet talking about my growing belly and told me she has two kids. I looked at her perfect silhouette and asked how on earth she did it. Her answer was in the back of my head until I was finally comfortable in my own skin, “Give it a year. Work really hard and after that time you’ll finally feel like yourself again”. Thank you beautiful woman, I couldn’t have put it better myself! Now this wisdom is yours to use…